Cirencester Amphitheatre: A Roman Spectacle Venue and Defensive Stronghold
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.1
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Primary era
- Classical
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Classical
- Civilizations
- Roman
- Site type
- Entertainment
- Remains
- Amphitheatre
On this page9 sections
History
Cirencester Amphitheatre is a Roman spectacle venue in the United Kingdom, built just outside the walls of Cirencester, then known as Corinium. Constructed probably in the early 2nd century AD, it served a town of more than 10,000 inhabitants during the period of Roman rule in Britain. Corinium was second in size in Britain only to London, giving the amphitheatre an important place in the public life of the town.
Construction and Roman use
Archaeological investigation indicates that the amphitheatre was first constructed in the early 2nd century. A major rebuilding took place around the middle of that century, followed by the addition of a new gateway and side chambers toward its end. The chambers may have held gladiators or wild animals, although their exact purpose remains uncertain.
The building was designed for public spectacles, including combats and animal displays. Its central arena was surrounded by seating, allowing large crowds to gather outside the town walls. The amphitheatre underwent further changes late in the 2nd century, including the reconstruction of an entrance and the creation of seating above it.
From entertainment venue to stronghold
Around AD 350 to 360, the side chambers and parts of the walls were demolished. By the middle of the 5th century, the entrances had been narrowed, apparently as part of a change in function from an entertainment venue to a defensive stronghold.
The regular Roman army left Britain in AD 408. The resulting loss of military pay and central administration contributed to the rapid decline of urban life. Private patrons could no longer finance public games, and the amphitheatre was adapted to help defend the local community. A ditch was dug along its southern side, while timber structures dating to the 5th century were erected within the arena.
These defences appear to have failed. In AD 577, a stronghold believed to have been Cirencester was reported to have fallen to advancing Saxon forces. The Saxons were Germanic peoples who settled in parts of Britain during and after the end of Roman rule. After this event, the amphitheatre remained abandoned for several centuries.
Medieval reuse and changing interpretations
During the Middle Ages, the abbot of Cirencester enclosed the site as a rabbit warren. An abbot was the head of a monastery or abbey. The traditional name Bull Ring later encouraged the suggestion that the earthworks had been used for bull-baiting, although that interpretation remains uncertain.
For a long period, the site’s identity was misunderstood. Its earthworks did not appear clearly Roman, and they lay among other quarry workings. The name Bull Ring and its association with bull-baiting were recorded by at least 1780. In 1800, the local historian Samuel Rudder proposed that the earthworks were the remains of a Roman amphitheatre after studying them in greater detail.
Archaeological investigation
In 1824, the antiquary and clergyman John Skinner carried out the first archaeological investigation. He found little evidence for stone seating or high-quality workmanship, but identified a nearby Roman quarry and a Romanized British cemetery. Later excavations confirmed both features.
Several small investigations followed during the later 19th century, although doubts about the site’s identity continued. During the First World War, local youths dug an informal tunnel into one of the mounds and later reported finding a well-built wall.
Organized excavation became possible through the Cirencester Excavation Committee. Work in the 1960s, first led by J. S. Wacher and later by Alan McWhirr, established the early 2nd-century date and traced the later rebuilding and defensive alterations. The amphitheatre is one of the largest known surviving examples from the Roman occupation of Britain, and its remains are protected as a scheduled monument under United Kingdom legislation.
Remains
The surviving earthworks form an oval amphitheatre aligned parallel with the streets of Roman Corinium. Its long axis runs between entrances at the north-east and south-west ends. The arena measures approximately 150 by 135 feet, or 46 by 41 metres, and the earth banks rise about 25 feet from the bottom of the arena. Excavation has clarified the original construction, the arrangement of seating, and the successive alterations that changed the building’s use.
Arena and spectator banks
The banks supported tiers of wooden seats placed on terraces formed by drystone walls, which were built by fitting stones together without mortar. Standing room was also available, giving the amphitheatre an estimated capacity of about 8,000 people. A wall separated the spectators from the arena, whose surface consisted of fine gravel and sand. The word arena derives from harena, the Latin word for sand.
The earthworks are the principal visible remains today. Excavation has revealed the outline of the structure and evidence for its terraced stone seating. Roman artefacts, including coins and pottery, have also been recovered from the site.
Entrance and side chambers
Only the eastern entrance has been excavated. It was originally open to the sky, but toward the end of the 2nd century its passage was covered by a stone vault, with additional seating constructed above it. A later rebuilding added two small rooms on either side of the inner end of the excavated entrance. One of these rooms may have been a shrine to Nemesis, a Roman goddess associated with retribution and the restoration of balance, although this identification is uncertain.
Defensive alterations
The 5th-century changes altered both the entrances and the arena. The north-east entrance was partly blocked, the entrances were narrowed, and a ditch was dug along the southern side. Timber buildings or other wooden structures stood within the arena, leaving postholes, which are small archaeological cuts or sockets that held the bases of wooden posts. Together, these features show how the former performance space was adapted for defence.
